New Pilot Start Guide

Welcome aboard. This guide takes you from a fresh application to your first logged flight. Read it once before you fly — it answers almost everything new pilots ask.

1. What we expect

• Be at least 15 years old.
• Own a flight simulator: MSFS, X-Plane, Prepar3D or FSX.
• Fly at least one flight every 30 days, plus the monthly mission.
• Complete at least one flight in your first week so your level can be assessed.
• Record every flight with GokturkACARS — offline or on VATSIM/IVAO.
• Be a member of at most one other virtual airline, and only with staff knowledge.
• Treat every member with respect.

2. Your account and callsign

• After your application is approved you receive a pilot ID such as GKT0019.
• That ID is your login for both the website and GokturkACARS.
• Your flight callsigns use the GKT prefix, for example GKT1IW.
• Set your photo and details under My Profile in the Crew Center.

3. Getting ready to fly

• Install GokturkACARS from the Downloads page (see the ACARS manual).
• Make sure the bridge to your simulator works: SimConnect for MSFS, FSUIPC for P3D/FSX, XPUIPC or the UDP plugin for X-Plane.
• Pick an aircraft you can actually operate. A well-known freeware 737 is a better start than a study-level airliner you cannot handle.
• Plan the route with SimBrief — the Crew Center can pull your latest flight plan.

4. Your first flight, step by step

• Choose a route. Anything in our schedule works; short European legs are easiest.
• Load the aircraft at the departure gate in the simulator.
• Open GokturkACARS, log in, enter the flight number and route, press START.
• Fly the whole leg from gate to gate.
• Park, set the parking brake, press END. Your PIREP is filed automatically.
• The staff team reviews it, and it then appears in your logbook.

5. Ranks and progress

• Ranks are earned by flight hours, from the first officer grades up to captain.
• There is no aircraft restriction by rank — you may fly any aircraft in the fleet from day one.
• Badges are awarded for milestones: flight counts, distance, countries visited and smooth landings.
• The Records Wall and the Greaser Board are computed automatically from approved PIREPs.

6. The monthly mission

• Every month one route is drawn as the mandatory mission flight.
• It is shown in the Crew Center with its deadline, and it is compulsory for all active pilots.
• The Crew Center detects your mission flight automatically once the PIREP is approved — there is nothing to submit by hand.

7. Where to get help

• Start Guide and VA Rules pages on the website.
• The ACARS manual for anything about the recorder.
• The staff team — write to us with a screenshot if you are stuck.

Gokturk Virtual Airlines · gokturkvirtual.com